I came up with this a few days ago after playing around with a software called ReconstructMe. This fantastic piece of software renders a 3D model using an off the shelf consumer 3D sensor like the Microsoft Kinect or Asus Xtion. I did a 3D scan of myself by spinning around in an office chair a few times and printed a bust of myself on my Makerbot. That really got me going. I’ve seen other full body scanners using the kinect sensor, but I want to make one better, faster, stronger, cheaper, and more versatile.
So far I’ve modeled it out with all real measurements. Its mostly just to give others a better idea of whats in my head. The whole thing will be made to fold together or screw apart in certain areas. I want this to be completely portable.
Now, a basic explanation of the function. Subject stands on the platform. The platform rotates. The kinect sensor will go up and down via a pulley system. Using a rangefinder to determine when the sensor has gone over the height of the object, a servo will tilt the kinect down to scan the top of the subject being scanned. There is a curved wall behind the subject to prevent background information from interfering. This all will provide a perfect 3D scan.
I’ll post more soon. I begin the build next week and I should have it finished ideally in a day two.
